Information Governance Team ● The Parkhouse Building ● Kingmoor Business Park ● Carlisle ● Cumbria ● CA6 4SJ
T: 01228 221234 ● E: xxxxxxxxxxx.xxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxx.xxx.xx
PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL Fiona Smith
12 November 2020
Dear Fiona Smith
Freedom of Information Act 2000, Reference: FOI-7225-2020 The council has completed its search relating to your request about Professional Services
procurement received on Thu, 15 Oct 2020.
Request I am writing to ask that you please provide me with the spend for your Professional Services procurement at
the Authority, by which I mean the procurement of projects and consultancy through Statement of Work
excluding temporary agency staff.
• What have you spent on Professional Services over the last 12 months?
• What did the authority spend on professional Services Between April 2019 and March 2020?
• Between April 2019 and March 2020, which categories had the highest level of spend throughout that
period?
• Has the authority planned any large construction-based projects over the next two years?
• If you have got construction projects planned, please could you provide project details, budget and
timeframes?
• What is the Councils current process to engage with professional service providers? Please could you
provide details of the process and name third parties if they are being used.
Response The council does hold information within the definition of your request.
• What have you spent on Professional Services over the last 12 months?
Over the last 12 months - £7.886m
• What did the authority spend on professional Services Between April 2019 and March 2020?
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Between April 2019 and March 2020 - £9.007m
• Between April 2019 and March 2020, which categories had the highest level of spend throughout that
period?
County Council (excluding Schools) expenditure in 2019/20 on Other Professional fees/Services was
£8.316m.
The breakdown of which is as fol ows:-
Description
£
MANAGEMENT & ADMIN FEES
495,262.97
LECTURERS FEES
3,032.10
CONSULTANTS FEES
939,233.86
EXPERT FEES (EXCL LEGAL)
659,740.42
LABORATORY TEST FEES
116,148.33
LEGAL/COUNSELS/SOLICITORS FEES
430,241.73
EXT L&D CONSULTANTS FEES
49,312.50
OTHR PYTS TO INSTITUTIONS
1,593,816.02
BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL SERV
2,165,767.15
OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
1,085,044.90
LGPS IAS19 ACTUARY COSTS
1,545.00
EXAM FEES SCHOOLS
44,839.71
BODY REMOVAL UNDERTAKERS FEES
197,726.01
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MORTUARY & POST MORTEM FEES
533,104.05
OFFICE REMOVAL EXPENSES
1,841.50
Totals:-
8,316,656.25
The Council has a profesional services framework through which it procures professional services largley to
support our Capital Programme. Professional services supporting the delivery of the capital programme are
not included in the above figure but are capital expenditure, professional services form part of the cost of
each scheme, they are not recorded separately within the Councils financial system.
• Has the authority planned any large construction-based projects over the next two years?
Copy of pipeline attached as published to the Council’s framework supply chain in August 2020
• If you have got construction projects planned, please could you provide project details and timeframes?
The Council approves its five year Capital Programme annual y as part of the Budget and Medium Term
Financial Plan process in February. During the year and most recently at its meeting on the 9th September,
Council and Cabinet approve updates to the programme. The 2020-2025 Programme at 24th September
2020 total ed £469.372m and includes a number of schemes to be delivered for the Council, including
infrastructure.
Copy of pipeline attached as published to the Council’s framework supply chain in August 2020
• What is the Councils current process to engage with professional service providers? Please could you
provide details of the process and name third parties if they are being used.
The current Professional Services Framework comprises of 18 different consultants across 4 Lots covering
Architecture, Civil Engineers, Building Surveyors and Infrastructure Planning https://procontract.due-
north.com/ContractsRegister/ViewContractDetail is due to expire in 2022. Should the Council decide to
procure another similar framework, the tender opportunity wil be advertised via The Chest https://www.the-
chest.org.uk/
Disclaimer Most of the information that we provide in response to requests submitted under the Freedom of Information
Act 2000 and Environmental Information Regulations 2004 wil be subject to copyright protection. In most
cases the copyright wil be owned by Cumbria County Council. However the copyright in other information
may be owned by another person or organisation, as indicated on the information itself.
You are free to use any information supplied in this response for your own non-commercial research or private
study purposes. The information may also be used for any other purpose al owed by a limitation or exception
in copyright law, such as news reporting. However, any other type of re-use, for example by publishing the
information in analogue or digital form, including on the internet, wil require the permission of the copyright
owner. Where the copyright owner is the council you wil need to make an application under the Re-use of
Public Sector Information Regulations 2005.
For information where the copyright is owned by another person or organisation you must apply to the owner
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to obtain their permission.
If you are dissatisfied with the way the council has responded to your request you can request an Internal
Review. If you would like to request a Review please contact the Information Governance Team using the
details at the top of this letter.
If you have any issues relating to this letter you should attempt to resolve them, in the first instance, with the
council, by requesting an Internal Review. If you would like to request a Review please contact the
Information Governance Team using the details at the top of this letter.
Further information can be found on the council’s website: http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/council-
democracy/accesstoinformation/internalreviewscomplaints.asp
Yours sincerely
Information Governance Team
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